The Taiping revolt was all the more weakened by the persistence of political instability and certain notable defeats, such as the rout of the Taiping by the Qing forces in Ruizhou in 1857. In 1859, the head of the movement was entrusted to Hong Rengan, Xiuquan’s cousin and one of his first recruits, a supporter of modernizing his government along Western democratic lines. He undertook reforms in education and prohibited prostitution as well as the sale of slaves andopium. He also decided to open the territory of the Taiping to trade with foreigners.
Despite remarkable progress in these areas, the fate of the Taiping was sealed by the defeat of the Qing in the Second Opium War in 1860. After once again succumbing to European forces, the Qing realized that their former assailants were now willing. to help them put an end to the Taiping revolt. The rebels posed a growing threat to Europe’s economic interests in China due to their repeated, albeit unsuccessful, assaults aimed at conquering Shanghai. Foreign explorers, such as the American Frederick Townsend Ward and the British Charles Gordon, played a crucial role in helping to repel the attacks on the port city. With the emergence of collaboration between the Western powers and the Qing rulers, the opportunity was given to the greatest Chinese military leaders, notably Zēng Guófán, to modernize the imperial army.
Nanjing was besieged for two long years, and in 1864 its fall seemed imminent. In June, Hong Xiuquan committed suicide. A month later, the imperial army entered Nanjing and captured the city. The rebels were pursued and executed. The revolt was over.
The Taiping’s resistance was eradicated to the last of its strongholds, but their legacy nonetheless remained deeply rooted. The rebellion had so abused the authority of the Qing that the dynasty was stripped of its powers at the beginning of the 20th century. As for the egalitarianism defended by the Taiping, it was to serve as an inspiration for the rise of a new regime, that of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1940s.
This article originally appeared on nationalgeographic.com in the English language.
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